Transcat's "Calibration's Role in the Manufacturing Jigsaw Puzzle" Presentation

Calibration s
Calibration’s Role
in the Manufacturing Jigsaw Puzzle
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Webinar hosted and presented by
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Better by Your Every Measure • 800.828.1470 • www.transcat.com

Agenda

 The Big Picture: Manufacturing Goals
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 Puzzle Pieces: Segregation of Departments/Functions
 The Calibration Puzzle Piece
 The Piece Appears to Fit . . . But Does It Really?
 Getting the Pieces to Fit Properly
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The Big Picture: Manufacturing Goals

 Making p
g products that are:
• In market demand
• Profitable
• Effective
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• Safe


Puzzle Pieces: Segregation of Depts/Functions

 Some functions of the manufacturing p
g process are split apart
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into separate departments
 Some functions or sub-functions/sub-assemblies are
outsourced


Puzzle Pieces: Segregation of Depts/Functions

 Materials are purchased from multiple sources
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 Sub-assemblies are made at local tool shops
• Some companies enforce quality of parts on the supplier
• Some companies check a sample of supplier parts for quality


The Calibration Puzzle Piece(s)

 How has Calibration been segregated from the
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manufacturing process?
 What was the original point of calibration in manufacturing?
• Many manufacturers have lost the connection between calibration
and the original goals of business
 How has this ‘calibration silo affected manufacturing?
calibration silo’


The Piece Appears to Fit . . . But Does It Really?

 Calibrations may be taking p
y g place but . . .
 . . . that doesn’t mean Measurement Assurance is in place!
• Example: Omega HH82A
• What similar risks do your current calibrations impose?


Getting the Pieces to Fit Properly

 If a manufacturing business is interested in:
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• Maximizing Profits
• Product Safety & Quality . . .
 Then they must have an active Measurement Assurance
program



 An active Measurement Assurance program consists of:
• Right tool for the job (i.e., suitability)
• Regular calibration
– Calibrations that support the process where the instrument is
used
– Calibrations that supply the correct tolerances
– Calibrations that are valid (i.e., calibration measurement
uncertainties support the measurements made)
• Using the instrument/tool correctly
• Accounting for irregularities in the production measurement process
(i.e., Process measurement uncertainties)
• OOT investigations performed properly
• Corrective action taken for OOT impacting product



 Example: Temperature measurement
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• Mfg Engineer needs to measure solution used to treat product
• Process measurement is 350° ± 2° C
• Which instrument is suitable f this measurement?
for ?
LL: UL:
Process Process

348°C 350°C 352°C



 Process measurement
• An instrument with an accuracy equal to the process limits?
• Not good because the instrument can drift the full amount over its cal
interval,
interval directly impacting previous process measurements
LL: UL:
Process Process

348°C 350°C 352°C



• Instrument has been calibrated today and adjusted to nominal
• Instrument is used to measure solution temperature the same day
• S
Solution temperature is right at nominal: 350° C
°
LL: UL:
Process Process

348°C 350°C 352°C



• Instrument is on its last day of use before it will be recalibrated
• Instrument is used to measure solution temperature
• S
Solution temperature is right at nominal: 350° C
°
LL: UL:
Process Process

348°C 350°C 352°C



 Temperature Instrument Calibration
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• Instrument is recalibrated (and subsequently was adjusted)
• As Found reading shows the instrument drifted to upper limit: 352° C
• This drift occurred over its calibration interval
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LL: UL:
UUT UUT

348°C 350°C 352°C



 Temperature Instrument Calibration
p
• Did it move all at once or a little over time?
• How does this impact the measurements of the process since the
last time the temperature instrument was calibrated?
LL: UL:
UUT UUT

348°C 350°C 352°C



 OOT-NCR Evaluation
• It must be assumed this shift occurred immediately following the last
calibration because that is the only supporting evidence to show the
last known good condition of its temperature values
LL: UL:
Process Process

x

348°C 350°C 352°C



• So the process measurements taken on the day the instrument was
previously calibrated were not actually 350° C, they were 348° C
• The same applies to the process readings at the end of the cal cycle
LL: UL:
Process Process

x

348°C 350°C 352°C



• What if some process readings indicated the solution was at its lower
limit: 348° C? This would be acceptable for the process test, but . . .
• The In Tolerance cal would not have flagged this situation as ‘at risk’!!
at risk !!
LL: UL:
Process Process

x

348°C 350°C 352°C



 Instrument with better accuracy:
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• What if an instrument was selected with an accuracy twice as good?
• If it drifted to its limit, process readings would only be off half of the
process tolerance
LL: LL: UL: UL:
Process UUT UUT Process

x

348°C 349°C 350°C 351°C 352°C



y
• What if an instrument was selected with an accuracy 4X as good?
• If it drifted to its limit, process readings would only be off one quarter
of the process tolerance
LL: LL: UL: UL:

x

348°C 349.5°C 350°C 350.5°C 352°C



y
• How far can we take this? 10X better? 100X better?
• There are limits of technology and/or it eventually becomes cost
prohibitive to go too far with this concept
LL: LL: UL: UL:

x

348°C 349.5°C 350°C 350.5°C 352°C



y
• Traditionally, a 4:1 ratio is sufficient to reduce the probability that an
OOT will have an impact on the product/process
• For some measurements this cannot be achieved so risk is higher
measurements, achieved,
LL: LL: UL: UL:

x

348°C 349.5°C 350°C 350.5°C 352°C



y
• However, if one or more of the process measurements was at its
lower limit . . . risk still exists for this “In Tolerance” calibration
• Using the “As Found cal value all readings were higher by 0 5° C
As Found” value, 0.5°
LL: LL: UL: UL:

347.5°C
x

348°C 349.5°C 350°C 350.5°C 352°C



 Lesson Learned:
• Even In Tolerance results can impact your process measurements!
• All cal data must be reviewed against process measurements to
understand the impact to the product (IT NCR evaluation)
(IT-NCR
• Impact studies are expensive; consumes valuable resources
• Can cost thousands of dollars per evaluation event
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• Parts or product likely have already been released/shipped
• Could require product recall
• If not released, could require rework
• This risk can be reduced
• Guard Band the process limits!



 What is Guard Band?
• Determine realistic tolerance limits for the process measurement
• Reduce these limits by the tolerance of the instrument used in the
process to arrive at Lower/Upper Acceptance Limits
LL: LAL: LL: UL: UAL: UL:
Process Process UUT UUT Process Process

347.5°C
x x

348°C 348.5°C 349.5°C 350°C 350.5°C 351.5°C 352°C



 Guard Band result:
• Now if the instrument cal reveals a drift up to the maximum tolerance
there is no need to perform IT-NCR evaluation
• If instrument error is greater than this (i e it is OOT) then OOT NCR
(i.e. OOT), OOT-NCR
LL: LAL: LL: UL: UAL: UL:
Process Process UUT UUT Process Process

x

348°C 348.5°C 349.5°C 350°C 350.5°C 351.5°C 352°C



 Summary:
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• Implement a good Measurement Assurance Program
• Understand and exercise good Suitability selection
• Guard Band the process tolerance limits to reduce costly NCR evals
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• Understand both the process and the calibration to ensure the intent
of preserving good measurements on the product is not lost
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• Be thorough in your NCR evaluations
• Get help if you’re in over your head!


Thank You for Joining Us!

Questions?

800.828.1470
www.transcat.com

Transcat's "Calibration's Role in the Manufacturing Jigsaw Puzzle" Presentation

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